by Jo | Jan 9, 2018 | BLOG |
It had always been a dream of mine to start my own business and I finally got the opportunity to do so back in 2011. That’s when I founded my VA business and started the most exciting and rewarding stage of my life so far.
Furthermore, starting my own micro business (one that has 0-9 employees) enabled me to fulfil another dream and move to rural France. My business allowed me to work from literally anywhere in the world and, therefore, enabled me to operate from France.
Now, when I look back at the past six years, I realise how lucky I am to be living in a place I love and enjoying the best work/life balance I’ve achieved to-date.
But it hasn’t always been plain sailing and I’ve had to work extremely hard to build my profile and establish a professional network of clients, partners and supporters.
You see, the problem that many micros businesses, like mine, have is that they lack the huge marketing budgets of some of the bigger players in the market. This is why having a supportive professional network is so vital.
For this reason, I grab with both hands any opportunity I get to help out other micro businesses and that’s why I’ll be happily supporting Micro Biz Matters Day on January 12, 2018.
Micro Biz Matters Day is the brainchild of Tina Boden and Tony Robinson OBE, who founded Enterprise Rockers back in 2012. The idea is that on January 12 people will spend 12 minutes of their day (roughly the time it takes to have a short coffee break) to help promote micro businesses.
Even if you don’t run a micro business yourself, you’ll undoubtedly have clients or people in your own professional network who may have certain requirements; requirements that could be satisfied by a micro business.
By promoting these micro businesses on your various social media channels, you’ll inevitably boost their profile and perhaps even get them seen by decision-makers from other companies.
You can even get involved now by using the #MicroBizMattersDay hashtag to raise awareness of the upcoming event. Then, on January 12, if you’ve got 12 minutes to spare, why not consider helping even further by taking one or more of these suggested actions.
Just 12 minutes of your time could make a huge difference to micro businesses that have a huge amount to offer but maybe aren’t getting the full exposure they deserve.
Find out more about #MicroBizMattersDay by visiting the website or following the Twitter hashtag.
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by Jo | Apr 12, 2016 | BLOG, Outsourcing, VA |
When new business owners are first starting out, there’s a massive tendency for them to try and do everything themselves. After all, their fledgling companies haven’t yet found their feet and any tasks they can do personally ultimately helps them keep costs down.
But it’s usually not long before these solopreneurs, or small business owners, realise that they need to let go; outsource the day-to-day tasks that are consuming their time; and focus on what they do best: driving their business forward.
So when a new client approaches me, I know it’s because they’ve reached the point where they know they need some help with their workload. Accepting the fact that they need to outsource some work is actually a crucial stage to reach.
However, while they know they need to take advantage of a virtual assistant’s services, they often find themselves in a catch-22 situation. That’s because they’re often too busy to take the time to explain exactly what they want their new VA to do. This is especially true if they’re new to outsourcing.
The bottom line is they’re busy and that’s exactly why they’re looking to hire a VA.
Obviously, there are certain tasks which are pretty standard across the board and don’t require much explaining. The majority of clients, though, have particular ways that they like things done; certain systems and methods which have become engrained in their routines.
Just because they’re going to outsource some of their tasks doesn’t mean they want them completed any differently. This is why it’s so crucial that they spend some time handing the tasks over properly.
If they don’t take the time to explain things properly, they often end up completing the tasks themselves (as they’ve always done). This defeats the object of having a VA in the first place and this is the outsourcing vicious circle I was referring to in the title of this post.
By taking some time to fully handover tasks, clients can break the outsourcing vicious circle and really make the most of their new VA.
It’s so satisfying for me to be able to help a client alleviate their workload and concentrate on their core business activities.
Even though I’m Jo Harrison, Virtual Assistant, I want all my clients to think of me in the same way they would a conventional assistant sat in the same office as them. My virtual desk is always ready for them to drop things on and having explained something once, they can turn their attention elsewhere safe in the knowledge that their tasks are being done just how they want them to be.
